


Come In From the Cold

by cassiopeiasara



Category: The Worst Witch (TV 2017)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Mutual Pining, Pre-Series, Prompt Fill, Sharing a Bed, Snowed In, Wintery Domestic Bliss, Yuletime, confession of feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-14
Updated: 2017-12-14
Packaged: 2019-02-14 15:06:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,850
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13010355
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cassiopeiasara/pseuds/cassiopeiasara
Summary: She waved her hand over the door for a glimpse at her visitor and gasped at the sight of Hecate Hardbroom, clutching her broom with her arms wrapped around her upper body.ORAda receives an unexpected guest while taking some time away from Cackle's.





	Come In From the Cold

**Author's Note:**

  * For [BigBadWolfe](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BigBadWolfe/gifts).



> A/N: This is in answer to a prompt by BigBadWolfe for either Ada or Hecate staying out in the cold too long and the other person nursing them back to health. That is here but so are other bits of plot I didn't expect. I hope you like it dear. Thank you to Alafair for her beta work. 
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own these characters and I seek no profit. Title from the Joni Mitchell song of the same name.

Ada finished enchanting her twinkle lights and set her Yule log on the mantelpiece of the cottage living room. Beside her, Pendell tossed around a piece of discarded pink tinsel. Ada smiled at her handiwork. Rosewood was a charming place in its own regard, a renovated one bedroom cottage that she’d been gifted upon her graduation from teaching college.

Cackle’s was mostly empty at this time of year and she’d decided on a change of scenery, since communal Yule celebrations were over. Mother was off visiting one of her colleagues for the season and Hecate, her usual holiday companion, was visiting her aunt. Ada had stopped off at Darkwood first with the feeble hope that Agatha might make an appearance. Unsurprisingly, Agatha refused to answer any of Ada’s mirror attempts, so she’d continued on to Rosewood.

Ada warmed her teapot as the snow continued to fall outside blanketing the surrounding area in a never ending sea of white. It was quiet and serene and exactly what Ada needed. Pendell hopped up to join her on the opposite side of the sofa as she nestled in with her novel. She was only a few pages in when Pendell leapt from his perch to meow and paw at the front door.

Ada reasoned he’d probably spotted some poor creature seeking warm refuge from the weather. She turned the page of her book, but her reading was interrupted by a faint knock. She knitted her eyebrows as she closed her book and summoned a robe. Pendell continued to chirrup and pace by the door as Ada moved to join him. She waved her hand over the door for a glimpse at her visitor and gasped at the sight of Hecate Hardbroom, clutching her broom with her arms wrapped around her upper body.

Ada opened the door and ushered her recently appointed Deputy in. She could hear the loud chatter of Hecate’s teeth as she shivered, her traveling cloak and boots covered in snow. Ada closed the door and readied herself for a warming spell before Hecate extended a shaky hand.

“M-m-make s-s-ure t-to g-g-go s-s-slow.”

Ada nodded and concentrated on Hecate’s head, hands and feet first, banishing her traveling cloak and boots and replacing them with a warm blanket, thick socks and slippers. She shook her head at Hecate’s thin dress and almost threadbare gloves. Hecate followed her line of sight to her gloves and moved her shoulders up in what might have been a shrug, had she not been shivering so much. Ada took her arm gently and lead her to warm by the fire as she continued her spell.

A half hour later, Hecate’s shivering had all but stopped and she was able to speak without stuttering. She wrung her hands from her seat on the edge of an armchair near the couch.  

“I apologize for my interruption. I meant to go to the castle, but something fell toward me on the way. I transferred Morgana and my things, but I was too cold to transfer myself.”

Ada nodded. “Well, that half explains your lack of appropriate attire. How did you know I’d be here?”

Hecate bowed her head slightly. “I mirrored before I left and Miss Tapioca told me where you’d gone. I planned to mirror you in the morning, as I assumed you didn’t want to be disturbed, but as you can see, that particular plan was thwarted.”

Ada extended a hand to her arm and squeezed. “I can’t say I mind.”

Hecate shook her head. “I think I should be able to venture out again in an hour.”

Ada raised an eyebrow and gestured toward the window with her chin. “I highly doubt you'd get very far in that.”

Hecate turned to look at the snowstorm picking up outside. “Perhaps it looks worse than it is?”

Ada refilled Hecate’s teacup. “You are more than welcome to stay. It wasn’t as if I had exciting plans beyond reading.”

Hecate took a sip of her tea and nodded. “Thank you, Miss Cackle.”

Ada shook her head. “Hecate, you know that you can call me Ada. In fact, I’ve heard you do it on occasion.” She winked as she took a sip of tea.

Hecate’s expression betrayed her hesitance, but she smiled as she amended, “Ada.”

Ada tried to ignore the warmth that flooded her at the way Hecate said her name. There was a tenderness to Hecate Hardbroom that Ada knew very few people witnessed and she counted herself lucky to be one of them.  

It was probably one of the reasons why Ada’s thoughts about her colleague had shifted recently. Over the months, as Hecate stayed later and later in the evenings to review reports and student progress, Ada had found herself becoming more and more interested in the curve of Hecate’s lips and the thought of how they might taste pressed against her own. She knew it was highly inappropriate, not to mention unlikely, that Hecate would return her feelings. But here in soft firelight and the quiet of snow falling, it was hard not to think about it.

“What have you been reading?”

Ada blinked up at her. “What?”

Hecate nodded toward Ada’s novel. “What have you been reading?”

“Oh,” shrugged Ada as she lifted the book. “Just a bit of _Jane Eyre_.”

“Lovely.” Hecate took a sip of her tea and shifted in her chair.

“How was your visit?”

Hecate sighed as she placed her teacup on the coffee table. “My aunt is well enough.” She straightened her shoulders and started to fidget with the fingers in her lap. “She was less than satisfied with me.”

Ada nodded slowly. She didn’t know much about Hecate’s family, but she had noticed that every time Hecate returned, she retreated into herself, snapped at students and staff alike, and more resembled the aloof teacher who first came to work at Cackle’s. Ada knew all too well how offputting difficult relatives could be.

“Well, I will try and provide more enjoyable company.” Ada smiled softly and the tension from Hecate’s shoulders eased slightly.

Hecate responded softly, “You won’t have to try very hard.”

Ada ducked her head slightly. There was that tenderness again. Ada tried not to read more than friendship in it, but her heart had other plans.  

Hecate sneezed and coughed, pulling Ada out of her thoughts. Ada shook her head and gestured toward the stairs that led toward bedroom. “We should get you to bed.”

Hecate raised an eyebrow and Ada realized too late how suggestive that sounded. Despite how much she would have no problem with such a suggestion, she didn’t want Hecate to think she was taking advantage.

Ada arched an eyebrow as if the double entendre was the most ridiculous thought. “To prevent illness, Hecate.”

Hecate relaxed and nodded. “I suppose that would be wise.” She rose and shivered slightly at the loss of the warm blanket around her shoulders.

Ada considered her a moment. “I don’t know if I have something that will fit your frame, but I do have an extra nightgown we could charm while your clothing dries.”

Hecate just nodded and followed Ada up to the bedroom. When they entered, Hecate paused at the foot of the bed and looked around. “Ada, how many bedrooms are in this cottage?”

“Just the one,” answered Ada. “I can sleep in the living room. I usually fall asleep reading down there anyway.”

Hecate set her lips in a tight line and shook her head, her eyes frantic. “I can’t possibly. It’s unfair of me to kick you out of your bed.”

Ada shook her head as she took a look at Hecate and charmed her nightgown. “You’re doing nothing of the sort, and I’m not the one who was in the cold for entirely too long without appropriate attire.” She handed the nightgown to Hecate. “I apologize for the color.”

Hecate held the deep pink nightgown as if it were the most precious thing she’d ever received. Her voice was almost reverent as she stated, “I don’t mind it.”

Ada summoned Hecate’s teacup and a small jar of honey. She scooped out a generous amount and rolled her eyes at Hecate’s raised eyebrows. “Your throat will thank you.”

Hecate sighed and toed off her slippers.

Ada chuckled and pointed at the chest in the corner. “Extra blankets are in there should you need them. I think I shall leave you to it. Just transfer your clothes to the living room and I will hang them to dry. You know where to find me if you need me.”

Hecate coughed and cleared her throat. “Thank you, Ada. Truly.”

Ada smiled. “Sweet dreams, Hecate.”

* * *

Hecate woke with a jolt from her dream. She’d been falling off her broom into some dark abyss. She blinked her eyes rapidly as she took in the unfamiliar room. She lifted her fingers to ignite the candle next to where she slept. She knitted her eyebrows at the wallpaper and glanced down to her blankets, noticing her attire for the first time, then the memory came rushing back to her. The nightgown had shortened in her sleep, no doubt the charm dwindling, though Ada’s cast had been perfect.

Hecate recharmed it and grabbed a blanket to wrap around her shoulders. It was still dark outside, but she reasoned she could probably survive in the living room until morning and give Ada her bed back. She stepped lightly out of the bedroom, taking care not to trip over Pendell, asleep at the top of the stairs.

She spotted Ada on the couch, which she must have enlarged at some point. Hecate’s mouth twitched into a small smile at the sight of her Headmistress, glasses askew and her novel open on her chest. It reminded her of the few nights she’d happened upon Ada in her office, arranged in a similar fashion. Hecate levitated the book toward the small coffee table and dog eared the page to mark Ada’s place. She tilted her head as she considered what she might do about Ada’s glasses.

Ada stirred slightly and Hecate froze, as if her original intent hadn’t been to wake Ada in the first place. Ada took a deep breath and blinked her eyes open. She adjusted her spectacles and squinted up at Hecate.

“Hecate?” Her voice was laced with sleep, giving it a dreamlike quality that made Hecate want to slip in next to her and wrap her up in her arms.Hecate shook her head. Thoughts like that were not only foolish, but inappropriate. She and Ada were nothing more than colleagues; dear friends.

She nodded. “Yes, it’s me. I thought perhaps we might switch.”

Ada knitted her eyebrows and cleared her throat as she sat upright. “Switch?”

Hecate gestured toward the bedroom. “You can take the bed; I can settle down here.” A sneeze escaped her at the end of her statement. Curse her traitorous body.

Ada shook her head and pointed up at Hecate. “I think that says otherwise.”

Hecate rolled her eyes. “And what about you? You could just as easily catch something.” She pointed down at the blanket that rested on Ada’s lap. “I highly doubt one woolen blanket could prevent you from illness.”

Ada chuckled softly and try as she might, Hecate couldn’t stop her heart from performing a small leap at the sound. “You are correct in that.” Ada bit her lip and Hecate tried to focus on anything other than Ada’s precious mouth. “I suppose we are at an impasse.”

Hecate closed her eyes and took a deep breath, wrapping the blanket around her shoulders tighter. “We could share.”

When Hecate opened her eyes again, it was to Ada’s barely masked surprise. She was ridiculously endearing with her eyebrows raised and her wide blue eyes. This was most certainly a bad idea.

“Are you sure?”

Hecate shrugged. “I can’t think of a different option.”

Ada considered her a moment and Hecate worried she might be able to see through Hecate’s barely contained resolve, that she might figure out all the other ways Hecate wanted to invite her to share a bed. Ada nodded slowly.

“Neither can I.” She rose and grabbed her own candle and blanket, leading the way up the stairs. Hecate sneezed again as they entered the bedroom and Ada shook her head while she set her blanket and candle down.

Before Hecate knew it, Ada’s warm hand rested against her cool forehead. She stilled and tried her best not to lean into Ada’s touch.

“You’re not too warm, but you are a bit clammy.”

Hecate closed her eyes at the brush of Ada’s fingertips. When she opened them, Ada had her head tilted in curiosity. Hecate took a step back and nodded.

“No fever is a good sign, if only I could,” she paused as she sneezed again, “stop that.”

Ada smiled as she conjured a small bottle. “Anti-sneezing potion. I’m sorry I didn’t give it to you earlier.”

Hecate took the bottle, careful not to shiver as her fingers grazed Ada’s. “Thank you. It’s not a very convenient symptom.”

Ada laughed as she turned down the left side of the bed. “No, I should think not.” She paused. “I apologize, I forgot to ask if you have a side preference?”

“No, I don’t.”

Ada smiled at her, extinguished her candle and climbed into bed, summoning a blanket from the corner chest as she did so. Hecate watched as she arranged it in the middle of the bed, creating a barrier to lay between them, and only too late realized that she wore her dismay on her face.

“Hecate.” Ada tilted her head, gazing up at her with that same curious and inscrutable expression. “I thought you might be more comfortable if...”

Hecate shook her head firmly. "It’s all right.” It was probably for the best, truly, since Hecate knew of her own tendency to reach out in her sleep. She quaffed the anti-sneezing potion and blew out her own candle. Once in bed, she moved as close to the edge as possible. The blanket barrier Ada had placed between them was a clear enough sign that she was alone in her regard for Ada, and she cursed herself for feeling hurt when she had no right to be.

“Good night, dear,” whispered Ada, and to Hecate’s traitorous mind, her voice sounded almost wistful.

“Good night, Ada.”

* * *

Ada woke as a trickle of light shone through the small window in the bedroom. The room was a blur around her and she closed her eyes again, contemplating whether or not to catch another hour of sleep. Something tightened around her waist and the movement caused her to open her eyes again. She summoned her spectacles and glanced down to see a long arm wrapped around her middle.

Ada bit her lip and turned slowly to see Hecate, her nose pressed to Ada’s shoulder, their blanket barrier buried somewhere at the foot of the bed. Hecate was, Ada was forced to admit, positively breathtaking, her long hair strewn partially along Ada’s side and her face relaxed in sleep. Hecate nuzzled closer and squeezed her leg over the tops of Ada’s, drawing Ada’s eyes to their intertwined bodies. It seemed the nightgown Hecate wore rode up in the night and Ada immediately averted her gaze, somewhere up above the headboard. She concentrated on regulating her breathing to calm the racing of her heart. She’d just managed a healthy rhythm when Hecate hummed next to her and pulled her closer.

She needed to get out of the bed. Not only to spare Hecate the embarrassment of waking to find herself wrapped around her Headmistress, but because Ada couldn’t stop herself from enjoying every moment of it. She closed her eyes and memorized the way Hecate felt against her, a small gift to tuck away and keep when reality did not reward her with something similar.

Hecate nuzzled her shoulder again and Ada sighed as she transferred out of the bed. At Hecate's slight whimper, Ada lifted her hand and rearranged her pillow and the blanket to give Hecate something to hold in her place. She turned to venture down the stairs before her heart broke at witnessing what she could never have. She told herself that it was only Hecate seeking warmth in the night. It probably wouldn’t have mattered who Ada was; she was just another source of heat, after all.

The first thing Ada noticed when she entered the living room was the wall of white blocking the windows. Just as she expected from last night’s storm, neither one of them was going anywhere any time soon. The thought stopped her in her tracks. There would be at least one more night, which meant one more morning waking up just as she had.

She shook her head. “You can do this, Ada.”  The reassurance sounded feeble to her own ears, but she hadn’t much choice in the matter. She went to the fire and reignited it, checking that Hecate’s dress had sufficiently dried the night before. Satisfied, she placed a warming spell over it and transferred it to the bedroom.

Pendell weaved in and out of her legs then and she smiled at him. “Breakfast, dear?” He peered up at her in response and she led the way into the small kitchen.

She was just pulling croissants out of the oven a little while later when she heard the familiar sound of high heeled boots headed her way. Without turning from her task, she greeted her houseguest,“Good morning, Hecate.”

“Good morning, Ada. I trust you slept well.” There was a tightness in Hecate’s tone that Ada couldn’t quite decipher, and with the thoughts of the morning playing like a cinema reel in her mind, she reasoned it foolish to try.

Ada set the tray on the stove and glanced surreptitiously at her Deputy. Hecate had her hands at her side, her fingers twitching slightly and her eyes trained on some far off corner of the kitchen. Ada wondered briefly if Hecate somehow remembered the way Ada had left bed this morning, but quickly dismissed the thought. She had certainly been asleep.

Ada gestured toward the small table. “I did. How are you feeling? Do you need me to take your--”

“No!” Hecate insisted forcefully, her hands flying up between them. Ada watched her for a moment and Hecate seemed to remember herself and brought her hands down. “No,” she began again, calmer this time. “ I took my temperature, no fever, and I’ve neither coughed nor sneezed since waking.”

Ada nodded thoughtfully, finishing the last of breakfast preparations and levitating the tray over to the table “That is certainly promising,” she agreed gently, “though I am sorry to tell you that you are still stuck here with me, at least for the time being.”

Hecate raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

Ada gestured toward the window with her thumb as Hecate began to pour their tea. “We are marooned. I opened the door this morning to a wall of snow. Granted, you’re welcome to attempt to tunnel out, but I think you may freeze halfway to Cackle’s.”

Hecate pushed Ada’s teacup forward and shook her head. “I have ruined your holiday.”

Ada sighed and smiled. “You’ve done nothing of the sort. I am sorry I don’t have much in the way of entertainment, but I think there are some old spell books in the attic and I brought more than one novel with me.”

Hecate nodded slowly as she grabbed the smallest piece of toast. “Still, I’m sorry, Ada.”

Ada extended a hand and didn’t miss the way Hecate froze under it. She removed it quickly and shook her head. “It isn’t as if you can control the weather. I’m sorry whatever plans you must’ve had were interrupted.”

“They weren’t important,” commented Hecate as she took a sip of tea.

Ada hummed as she tucked into her breakfast. Hecate was content to spend the meal in silence and Ada was glad she could extend her the courtesy. It didn’t mean of course that Ada wasn’t caught up in her own thoughts, not only of this morning but also the curious way Hecate had responded to her touch. Hecate wasn’t overly demonstrative with physical affection, but she rarely shied away from Ada. It was probably the unexpected nature of not being able to return to Cackle’s.

At least, that was a worthwhile enough explanation for Ada.

Breakfast finished, Hecate asked if she could go in search of the old spell texts. Ada gave her ready permission and a quick explanation of how to access the attic. Once Hecate was out of sight, Ada cleaned the kitchen and breakfast table and in short order settled in the living room to finish her novel.

* * *

Hecate didn’t allow herself to relax until the attic door shut firmly behind her. She sank back against the door and breathed a sigh of relief. It was a small room, and surely it would take no time at all for her locate the books Ada had mentioned, but she needed the time to compose herself before facing Ada again.

She had awakened alone, on Ada’s side of the bed, and it was clear to her that she must have embarrassed herself in the night. Ada’s blanket barrier was nowhere in sight, and Hecate knew herself well enough to know she could not have possibly wandered so far over in bed without reaching out for Ada, no matter how much earlier Ada had risen.

Hecate paced as she tried to come up with a plan to survive the next twenty four hours. At least, that’s how long she hoped they’d be stuck. She didn’t want to think about how she would cope with two more days or, worse yet, a full week.  She sighed and sat amongst the stacks of spellbooks. It wasn't as though she didn't relish the opportunity for more time with Ada, but she knew it was only a matter of time before Ada recognized her less than professional feelings, and Hecate could hardly bear to think of what would happen then.

“Hecate?” came a voice through the door.

Hecate started slightly. “Yes?”

“Are you all right in there, dear?”

Hecate swallowed thickly at the term of endearment. “Yes, Ada, I shall be down in a minute.”

She lifted her fingers to gather the texts when a small pink envelope caught her eye. She kept the stack suspended midair as she bent to retrieve it.

_To: Ada, aged 27_

_From Ada, aged 17_

Hecate traced the familiar handwriting and tucked the envelope in one of the books as she made her way back downstairs. Ada was curled in an armchair with her book and a cup of tea. There was something about Ada on holiday that Hecate appreciated more than anything, an added relaxed nature to her gentleness. Where Hecate floundered with unstructured time, Ada reveled in it. Hecate envied her that ability sometimes.

Ada closed her book and tucked her finger between the pages. “Did you find everything you needed?”

Hecate nodded as she sat on the couch, the stack of texts gently landing on the space next to her.  She opened the top one for the envelope. “You have quite the collection up there.” She extended her hand with the envelope. “I might have found something you’d like to read.”

Ada raised an eyebrow as she took the envelope. She chuckled once she recognized it. “My Year Five assignment. You know the one we have the girls complete?”

Hecate nodded. “Have you never read it?”

Ada shook her head, a wistful look in her eyes. “I’d completely forgotten about it.” She ran her finger along the opening and pulled out the letter. “Aged twenty-seven; that was some time ago.” She chuckled a little then began to read.

Hecate had every intention to leave Ada to her thoughts, but she became so quiet after she started reading that Hecate’s curiosity won out. “What is it?”

“Hmm?” Ada looked up and shook her head. “It’s nothing. I just...” she set the letter in her lap and sighed. “There was so much I planned to do before I came back to Cackle’s, and most of it never happened.”

“Are you dissatisfied with where you ended up?” asked Hecate. She had her own regrets of course, an abandoned broomstick display among them, but Hecate had more in her life at Cackle’s than she ever dared hope for.

Ada leaned her chin on her open palm. “In most respects, no. I do like my life a great deal, but it was difficult to be so young with a destiny predetermined by a thirteen-minute birth difference.”

Hecate nodded slowly. She understood more than she liked the weight of obligation and expectation.

Ada sighed as she refolded the letter and tucked it into the back cover of her novel. “I appreciate you bringing it to me all the same.”

Hecate furrowed her brow. “But it has disappointed you in some way.”

Ada smiled gently. “That’s not your fault, Hecate. The universe has its own plans, no matter our own.” She pointed toward the stack of books. “Tell me what you found. As you might have guessed, it’s been years since I’ve travelled up there.”

Hecate listed off the texts and Ada provided as much as she could in the explanation of where they’d come from and her opinions on some of the methods described in them. They shared a quiet lunch, absorbed in their respective reading. It reminded Hecate how grateful she was to have someone like Ada who appreciated silence as much as she did conversation. Although it was foolish, Hecate pretended that this shared holiday had been intentional, that Ada had coaxed her away from the castle so they could spend uninterrupted hours simply being together. It brought a small smile to her face as she flipped through an old potions workbook, making her own notes and adjustments in the margins.

* * *

The wind howled outside as Ada prepared dinner. She had hoped the day would melt the snow enough to see out of the windows, but there had been no chance of that. Steady footsteps sounded down the hallway and Ada took a breath, bracing herself for Hecate’s entrance. The day had been a lovely one, though the discovery of the letter from her teenaged self distracted her a bit from fully enjoying it.

What she’d shared with Hecate was true: there _was_ much she’d planned to do that had never come to fruition. Revealing to Mona how she truly felt, for one. And just as her seventeen year old self had resolved to tell all, on graduation day, Mona shyly confessed that she’d met a boy called Edmund on holiday, and that she planned to visit him over the summer. Mona was just the first of many of Ada’s attempts at an intimate relationship that ended as quickly as they’d begun, not least because she had a most inconvenient tendency to fall for more than a few of her friends.

Hecate lingered in the doorway, her posture perfectly straight but with none of her usual commanding presence. “Do you need any assistance?” she asked.

Ada smiled. “No, I am almost done actually. I hope shepherd’s pie is all right with you.”

Hecate nodded, a small smirk playing at her lips. “I have a lot more faith in your cooking than in Miss Tapioca’s.”

Ada laughed. “Would you believe me if I told you she’s actually improved over time?”

Hecate arched an eyebrow. “I suppose there was nowhere to go but up.”

Ada nodded as she levitated their dinner tray to the table. She turned to grab a step stool for the wine before Hecate moved to her side.

“My height has some advantages. What is it you need?”

_You_ , thought Ada. Instead she let out a nervous laugh. “There’s a bottle of Cabernet in the top left cabinet.”

Hecate nodded and reached for the bottle while Ada did her best to avert her eyes. Proximity to Hecate without the permission to reach out to her was a special kind of torture, she was coming to find.

Hecate raised a bottle up for inspection. “This one?”

Ada nodded quickly. “Yes, thank you.”

Hecate gestured toward the table. “Shall we then?”

Ada followed her to the table and reminded herself that this night needed to be one in which she limited herself to a single glass, else she might say something she would regret.

They didn’t speak much during dinner, easing back into the companionable silence they’d shared most of the day. Neither one of them touched the wine until Ada suggested they retire to the living room once they’d finished their meal.

Instead of her habitual spot in her armchair, Ada sat opposite Hecate on the couch and sipped her wine slowly, avoiding the urge to watch the way the firelight flickered over Hecate’s face.

“Do you ever wonder what you might have done if you hadn't become a teacher?” Hecate asked suddenly.

Ada’s eyebrows raised at the question. “I certainly did when I was younger. I thought I might open a tea shop or a bookshop.”

Hecate nodded slowly. “An admirable endeavor.”

Ada smiled. “How about you?”

Hecate stared into the fire for a long moment. “My aunt wanted me to serve on the Witch’s Council. I wasn’t very good at politics, as you might imagine. Perhaps if I’d had more of an ability to...” She paused and looked into her wineglass. “I think I would have done something else academic. Research, perhaps. I do enjoy travel.”

“Hmm,” responded Ada thoughtfully as she took a sip of her wine. “It’s a good thing we settled on teaching; otherwise we might not have met.”

Hecate shrugged. “Oh, I don’t know. I’m sure your bookshop would have been world renowned.”

Ada chuckled. “Perhaps I would have asked you to come do a book signing, as I’m sure your texts would have been in high demand.”

The corners of Hecate’s mouth twitched up into a ghost of a smile. “I would have said yes.”

Ada took another sip of her wine, but knew the warmth in her cheeks had nothing to do with the alcohol.

“Ada?” asked Hecate, a hesitancy in her tone.

Ada tilted her head in interest. “Yes?”

Hecate sighed. “I hate that I interrupted your holiday but I, well, I,” she paused as she twirled her glass. “I’m glad if I had to be stranded somewhere, it’s with you.”

Ada smiled. “Me too, and once again, you didn’t interrupt much. If I’m truly honest, I was a bit lonely before, so really you’ve just improved things.”

Hecate’s ghost of a smile turned into a genuine one and Ada’s heart skipped at the sight. If only she didn’t want more, if only she weren’t apparently destined to yearn for things she couldn’t have.

“Was it travel?”

Ada shook her head. “What?”

“Earlier, you mentioned there were things you wanted to do before you came back to Cackle’s.”

Ada sighed. “Oh, no, I did a good bit of travel. It was. Well, there was someone, someone I thought I’d spend more time with, but she found someone else. It ended up a pattern for a few years and I,” she paused and turned to the fireplace, “I just thought at some point it might be different.”

Hecate sighed next to her. “I’m sorry.”

Ada smiled gently and turned back to Hecate. “There’s no reason to be. As I said before, I like my life and I’m happy enough.”

Hecate nodded and opened her mouth to say something when the wind let out a howl louder than they’d heard all evening.

Ada placed her glass on the table. “We should probably set up a few fortifying enchantments and turn in early.”

Hecate nodded. “I can stay down here tonight. I don’t think the threat of illness is that great anymore.”

Ada stood and nodded. “If you’d prefer to, that should be fine.” It was probably for the best.

They both stood and chanted at the windows and doors. Ada took her wineglass to the kitchen and traded it for some tea. Hecate settled on the enlarged couch with a book and looked up when Ada reentered the living room.

“Good night,” she offered.

Ada managed a smile. “Good night. If you need anything, you know where to find me.”

Hecate nodded and Ada made her way up the stairs.

* * *

Hecate awakened to the feel of something soft and small patting her face. She opened her eyes and peered up at Pendell, sat squarely on her chest. Ada’s familiar gave her what must have been a thoroughly unimpressed glare before hopping off and sauntering toward the stairs.

Hecate rose and followed him. She was on the fourth step before she heard it: Ada moaning, seemingly in pain, behind the bedroom door. Hecate wasted no time in transferring directly into the room. Ada thrashed and cried out, clearly in the throes of a nightmare.Hecate snapped her fingers to light the candle at Ada’s bedside. She knelt next to Ada and gently shook her shoulders.

“Ada,” she called. “Ada, wake up. Ada.” Every whimper broke Hecate’s heart but after a few moments, Ada quieted and began to wake. She came to slowly, clearly discombobulated. Her hair stuck to her cheeks and she had the dazed look of someone who didn’t quite yet have her bearings. Hecate’s worry melted away and she found herself marveling at the beauty of such an intimate sight. Of course, she couldn’t conceive of any situation in which she wouldn’t find Ada anything less than breathtaking.

Ada blinked a few times, her eyes roaming the room. Hecate summoned her spectacles and handed them to her. “Hecate?” Ada furrowed her brow. “What are you doing here?”

Pendell chose that moment to jump up on the bed between them. Hecate smiled. “You were having a bad dream, and thus was I summoned.”

Ada sat up and ducked her head slightly. Hecate clenched her fist against the urge to lift up Ada’s chin and kiss her embarrassment away. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I didn’t mean to disturb.”

Hecate shook her head. “Don’t be, and you didn’t.” She suddenly felt the pins of her hair digging into her scalp and gestured down at herself.  “It was probably for the best, as I fell asleep in my clothes.”

Ada waved her hand and produced the nightgown from the night before. “I should have reminded you before I came up here.”

Hecate shrugged. “It isn’t as if it hasn’t happened before.” Hecate picked up the nightgown as she considered her next suggestion. “I can change quickly and we can talk about your dream if you’d like.”

Ada hummed and shook her head. “I’m not too keen to relive it, but if you wouldn’t mind, I,” she paused and sighed, “I’d appreciate the company.”

Hecate nodded. “Of course.”

It didn’t occur to her until she folded her dress that Ada had requested she join her in the bed, _again_.  She took a deep breath and reminded herself that she could do this. Not to mention that the request was probably born out of nothing more than Ada’s lingering fear from whatever her dream had been. Hecate was perfectly able to keep her hands to herself while she was awake and as soon as Ada was settled, she could slip away downstairs.

Pendell was situated on a cushion on top of the chest of blankets when Hecate returned. Ada hadn’t summoned a barrier blanket this time and Hecate tried not to dwell on what that might mean. She climbed into the bed and kept to her side, turning to Ada who turned to her in return.

“Thank you.”

Hecate knitted her eyebrows. “There’s no need to thank me. You would have done the same.”

Ada nodded and looked at a point past Hecate’s shoulder. “Yes, I would have.”

“Ada?”

Ada turned her gaze back to Hecate. “Yes?”

Hecate tilted her head. “What’s the matter?”

“What do you mean?”

Hecate sighed. “I don’t pretend to have your same gift of perception, but I can say I know you rather well, and there is something troubling you. Something you’re not saying. Was there something else in that letter?”

Ada turned to face the door and pulled her hands into her lap, staring down at them. “There is something, but I’m not sure how to tell you.”

Hecate sat up straighter and leaned slightly toward Ada. “You can tell me anything.”

Ada’s eyes shined as she turned toward her again. “Can I?”

Hecate extended a hand toward Ada, despite a voice screaming inside her not to. She placed it on top of Ada’s folded ones. “Of course you can.”

Ada took a deep breath. “Do you remember earlier when I mentioned my penchant for falling for someone I shouldn’t?”

Hecate felt the air slip from her lungs. There was someone else. Of course there was. Ada was too wonderful for there not to be. She gave a shaky nod.

“Yes.” She could survive this. She could live with these moments of friendship, running the school together, and she could support Ada in whomever she chose. She knew better than to expect more than that.

Ada twisted her palm up, securing their hands together. “It seems to have happened again, and I’m afraid it would change everything between her and me.”

Hecate cleared her throat, trying not to melt at the feeling of Ada’s hand in hers. “You should tell her. You never know, it’s,” she paused and squeezed Ada’s hand, “it’s hard to imagine that anyone wouldn’t want you.”

Ada stroked Hecate’s knuckles with her thumb. “What about you?”

Hecate’s eyes widened as she stared at Ada. “What about me?”

Ada tilted her head up at her. “Could you imagine yourself wanting me?”

Hecate froze. “What? What would I have to- what- “ Surely she misunderstood.

Ada extracted her hand from Hecate’s. “I’m so sorry. Hecate. Please know, I didn’t mean to scare you or make you uncomfortable. You can--”

Hecate leaned forward and took Ada’s face in her hands. Her voice, when it came, was a shaky whisper. “You want me?”

Ada gave a tentative nod. “For some time now. Does this mean--”

Hecate leaned forward and brushed her lips against Ada’s, tasting the chamomile tea she’d had before bed, mint and something that was distinctly Ada. It was the sweetest thing she’d ever experienced. Ada brought her hands around Hecate’s waist and squeezed as she met Hecate with equal fervor. Hecate felt her smile as she deepened the kiss and moved one hand to the back of Ada’s head, slipping her fingertips into Ada’s salt and pepper hair. It was softer than she’d imagined.

After a while, they parted and Hecate whispered, “I could never imagine not wanting you.”

Ada smiled. “I can’t say I ever pegged you as a romantic.” Hecate felt her cheeks warm and she ducked her head away from Ada. Ada brought a hand up to her chin and turned her back. “I don’t mind it in the least.”

Hecate swallowed thickly and confessed, “I’ve been told I can be a bit much.”

Ada rolled her eyes. “You’ve been lied to.”

Hecate kissed her cheek. “As have you.” Ada furrowed her brow and Hecate reached up to smooth it with her thumb, delighted that she was allowed to do so. “I meant it when I said it was hard to imagine anyone not wanting you.”

Ada cupped her cheek. “I’m glad to hear it. I thought when I woke with your arms around me that you hadn’t meant it in the way I hoped.”

Hecate shook her head. “I knew I’d embarrassed myself. No doubt taking liberties I shouldn’t have.”

Ada tilted her head and raised an eyebrow, the look she usually had when she thought Hecate was being too hard on herself. “You can hardly control what you do in your sleep. I can’t very well hold you to what you did while unconscious. It was cold, and I could have been anyone, really.”

Hecate shook her head and cupped Ada’s cheek. “Oh, Ada, no. I may have not been fully conscious and I would obviously prefer I held you when I had permission to do so, but it wouldn’t have happened with just anyone. I knew it was you here with me, so even if I wasn’t awake, it had everything to do with the fact it was you.” Hecate sighed. “I’ve wanted to do that for such a long time.”    

Ada smiled softly. “Have you?”

Hecate nodded. “Yes, I have.”

Ada waggled her eyebrows, the look exciting and terrifying Hecate in equal measure. “Perhaps we should make up for lost time.”

The wind howled outside and Hecate smiled. “I think we can do just that.” She leaned forward and captured Ada’s lips once again.

 


End file.
